Heroin distributor sentenced to 10 years in prison

A California-based heroin distributor was sentenced Tuesday to at least 10 years in prison for smuggling the drug to the Charlotte area and elsewhere in the country.

Alberto Gasca, 31, was sentenced in federal court in Charlotte. He pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin, U.S. Attorney Jill Westmoreland Rose said.

Beginning in 2012, Gasca smuggled bulk heroin shipments from Mexico to Los Angeles, court records show. Prosecutors said he used an extensive network of couriers to traffic the heroin and other drugs, including methamphetamine, nationwide.

The couriers typically hid the drugs in false compartments of large rolling suitcases, according to prosecutors.

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